Football Bulldogs start defense of D-2 title with home game

Defending national champion Minnesota Duluth will host Saginaw Valley State (Mich.) in the first round of the NCAA Division II football playoffs Saturday. In Division III play, another Duluth-area college -- St. Scholastica -- will make its inaugural postseason appearance at St. Thomas.

Defending national champion Minnesota Duluth will host Saginaw Valley State (Mich.) in the first round of the NCAA Division II football playoffs Saturday. In Division III play, another Duluth-area college -- St. Scholastica -- will make its inaugural postseason appearance at St. Thomas.

Saturday will be busy across the state for college football teams hoping to make a push deep into the postseason. Minnesota-Duluth opens the playoffs against Saginaw Valley State of Michigan. St. Cloud State hosts Wayne State of Michigan, and St. Thomas takes on undefeated St. Scholastica.

Back in 2008, Duluth's St. Scholastica fielded its first college football team. This year, they’re the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference champions, undefeated at 10-0, and will play their first-ever Division III playoff game on Saturday. It’ll be a tough one. The Saints take on undefeated St. Thomas in St. Paul.

St. Thomas senior Fritz Waldvogel says the Tommies are playing their best football right now. The Tommies play St. John Fisher in the Division III quarterfinals this weekend. It's St. Thomas' third straight trip to the quarterfinal round.

It’s Game 2 of the WNBA Finals tonight at Target Center. Another win, and the Minnesota Lynx will take a commanding 2-0 lead in the the best-of-five series against the Atlanta Dream. Forward Rebekkah Brunson says the game plan is for the Lynx to play tough defense early and not let up.